mums331 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League Records, 1893-1977 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Ruth Owen Jones. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA
2003

University of Massachusetts Amherst. All rights reserved.

 Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Eric S. Cartier. 2003-05-29 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mu158 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League Records, 1893-1977 Finding Aid Manuscript Number 331 Compiled by Ruth Owen Jones 1985 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

2003 University of Massachusetts Amherst. All rights reserved.

 Collection Overview New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League Records 1893-1977 1903-1963 MS 331 9 boxes (5.5 linear ft.) Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst When Charles Marsters founded the Boston Lacrosse Club in 1913, the club was the only one in New England to play teams from outside of the region. Under Marsters's leadership, however, participation in the sport rose steadily at both the high school and collegiate level, helping establish New England as one of the centers of the American game. In 1935, he and Tom Dent founded the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (NEILL) to continue to build the sport.The NEILL records document the growth of lacrosse from informal club team play to a more regulated, interscholastic and intercollegiate varsity sport. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, minutes, and agendas kept by co-founder Charles Marsters and a handful of other NEILL officers, but with material documenting the growth of the sport at UMass Amherst from the 1950s onward and the addition of women's lacrosse as a collegiate sport. The collection also includes some printed material (including rulebooks), news clippings, and photographs. English.

One of the major figures in the growth of scholastic and collegiate lacrosse in New England, Charles E. Marsters first grew attached to the sport while an undergraduate at Harvard (BS, 1907), but his commitment never waned thereafter. Spurred by his energy and initiative, participation in the sport rose steadily at both the high school and collegiate level, establishing New England as one of the centers of the American game. An officer of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), serving as vice president (1907-1908) and president (1909-1910 and 1917-1918), Marsters worked tirelessly as player, coach, and manager to promote the sport. With Paul Gustafson, he founded the Boston Lacrosse Club in 1913, playing point for sixteen years and managing the team, which became the first in New England to play teams from outside the region. He also laid the foundation for teams at Yale in 1915, and at Brown, MIT, the University of New Hampshire, and Tufts in the later 1920s.

In 1935, Marsters and his colleague Tom Dent founded the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (NEILL), which became a major vehicle for promoting the sport. He was recognized for his labors on behalf of the sport with an award from USILA in 1951 and with induction into the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame as a player in 1957.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The files of the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (NEILL) document the growth of lacrosse in New England from an informal club activity to a regulated, interscholastic and intercollegiate varsity sport. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, minutes, and agendas kept by co-founder Charles E. Marsters and a handful of other NEILL officers. Reflective of his enthusiasm for lacrosse, Marsters's correspondents ranged from coaches to regional and national lacrosse associations, as well as college and prep school officials, including Frank Boyden, Headmaster of the Deerfield Academy and trustee of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Some later correspondence reflects interest in the sport at UMass Amherst, beginning in the 1950s, and the beginnings of women's lacrosse as a collegiate sport.

The NEILL collection is equally valuable in documenting the founding of the Boston Lacrosse Club (1913-1962) through member lists and rosters, reports from the managers and treasurers, and promotional materials. The printed material in the collection includes rule books and news clippings, and materials and correspondence relating to publication of The Lacrosse Guide, as well as copies of the guide itself (1907-1962), and photographs.

 Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into six series:

Series 1. Official Records, 1935-1973 Series 2. Charles E. Marsters Files, 1913-1962 Series 3. The Lacrosse Guide, 1893-1962; n.d. Series 4. News Clippings, 1903-1962 Series 5. Printed Material, 1948-1952; n.d. Series 6. Oversized Materials, n.d.

The collection is open for research.

 Preferred Citation

Cite as: New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League Records (MS 331). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Acquired from Richard Garber, 1973, 1977-1978.

Processed by Ruth Owen Jones, 1985.

 Search Terms Marsters, Charles E. Boyden, Frank L. (Frank Learoyd), 1879-1972. New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League. Marsters, Charles E. Boyden, Frank L. (Frank Learoyd), 1879-1972. New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League. University of Massachusetts Amherst--Sports--History. Lacrosse guide. Lacrosse--New England. College sports--New England. School sports--New England. Lacrosse--Rules. Lacrosse for women--United States. Clippings. Series 1. Official Records1935-1973

Includes minutes, 1935-73; account books, bank books and financial reports; copies of the constitutions of 1935, 1957, and 1966; reports; information on players and teams; newsletters; meeting agenda; and the correspondence of the following officers: E.W. Christensen, Earle Littleton, Robert Maddux, Ben R. Martin, Lincoln Redshaw, Timothy Ring, J. Bruce Munro, A. Barr Snively, and William A.R. Harkness.

 Series 2. Charles E. Marsters Files1913-1962

Marsters was the co-founder NEILL. Includes his correspondence with lacrosse enthusiasts around the country between 1913 and 1962; his correspondence with coaches of NEILL member colleges and affiliated prep schools; materials reflecting his association with the USILA and its activities: Development Committee, 1946-53; All America/All New England selection; North/South Game, 1949-62; newsletters, publicity releases and souvenirs; materials dating from the founding of the Boston Lacrosse Club, 1913-62: lists of members, constitution, letterheads, schedules, manager and treasurer's reports; correspondence, rosters, agreements, photographs and clippings; materials pertaining to the writing of the New H Book of Harvard Athletics: correspondence and other material reflecting Marsters' affiliations with the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the US Lacrosse Coaches Association, the New England Lacrosse Officials Association, the US Women's Lacrosse Association, and the California Lacrosse Association.

 Series 3. The Lacrosse Guide1893-1962; n.d.

Contains material such as questionnaires, notes, and correspondence used to compile aspects of the guide, 1954-62, n.d., and copies of the guides themselves from 1907 to 1962 as well as other handbooks and rulebooks dating from 1893 to 1930 and n.d. In addition this series includes catalogs, correspondence, and orders pertaining to lacrosse equipment between 1935 and 1963.

 Series 4. News Clippings1903-1962

Contains newspaper clippings from a variety of newspapers collected by Harsters between 1903 and 1962.

Additional clippings are included among materials in other series.

 Series 5. Printed Material1948-1952; n.d.

Includes a bound volume on lacrosse, a clipped passage about lacrosse history, and a copy of an 1884 print by H.W. Hall.

 Series 6. Oversized Materialn.d.

Includes posters, questionnaires, clippings, referee whistles (3), and photographs of teams.

 Series 1. Official Records1935-1973 1 1 Minutes of Meetings 1935-1949 1 2 Meeting Agendae, Minutes 1954-1961 1 3 Minutes 1962-1973 1 4 Account Book 1940-1950 1 5 Bank Books (3) 1936-1942 1 6 Constitution and related correspondence, Christensen 1935 1 7 Correspondence, general , Christensen 1935-1936 1 8 Correspondence Earle Littleton (Secretary-Treasurer 1937-1940) 1937-1938 1 9 Correspondence Earle Littleton 1939-1940 1 10 Corres. Robert Maddux (Sec-Treas, 1940-1942,1949) 1936-1940 1 11 Corres. Robert Maddux 1941 1 12 Corres. Robert Maddux 1942, 1949 1 13 Corres. Ben Martin (Sec-Treas 1942-1944) 1942-1944 1 14 Corres. Lincoln Redshaw(Sec-Treas 1944-1948) 1944 1 15 Corres. Lincoln Redshaw 1945 1 16 Corres. Lincoln Redshaw 1946 1 17 Corres. Lincoln Redshaw 1947 2 18 Corres. Lincoln Redshaw 1948 2 19 Corres. Timothy Ring (Sec-Treas 1948-1950) 1948 2 20 Corres. Timothy Ring 1949 2 21 Corres. Timothy Ring 1950 2 22 Corres. J. Bruce Munroe 1950-1952 2 23 Corres. A. Barr Snively, Jr. 1954-1956 2 24 Corres. William R. Harkness 1954 2 25 Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Correspondence and Records 1940-1959 2 26 Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Correspondence and Records 1960-1967 2 27 Season Reviews 1969-1973 2 28 Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Newsletters 1960-1962 Series 2. Charles E. Marsters Files1913-1962 2 29 Corres. Charles E. Marsters 1913-1914 2 30 Corres. Charles E. Marsters 1915-1916 2 31 Corres. Charles E. Marsters 1947-1960 2 32 Corres. Charles E. Marsters 1961-1962 2 33 Mailing Addresses kept by Charles E. Marsters n.d. 3 34 NEILL-Amherst College 1936-1953 3 35 NEILL-Bates College 1930-1945 3 36 NEILL-Boston University 1931-1934 3 37 NEILL-Bowdoin College 1940-1955 3 38 NEILL-Brown University 1930-1952 3 39 NEILL-Colby 1944-1953 3 40 NEILL-University of Connecticut 1946-1953 3 41 NEILL-Dartmouth 1928-1949 3 42 NEILL-Hartford Club 1947 3 43 NEILL-Harvard University 1910-1959 3 44 NEILL-Kenyon College 1947-1951 3 45 NEILL-Lowell Textile Institute 1940-1953 3 46 NEILL-University of Maine 1950-1953 3 47 NEILL-M.I.T. 1929-1952 3 48 NEILL-Univ. of Mass.(orig. Mass. State) 1940-1954 3 49 NEILL-Middlebury 1948-1956 3 50 NEILL-New England College 1949-1951 3 51 NEILL-University of New Hampshire 1930-1952 3 52 NEILL-Nichols Junior College 1949-1953 3 53 NEILL-Rhode Island State (now URI) 1935-1951 3 54 NEILL-Springfield College 1930-1953 3 55 NEILL-Trinity College-Hartford 1946-1953 3 56 NEILL-Tufts 1930-1952 3 57 NEILL-Coast Guard Academy 1946-1947 3 58 NEILL-Wesleyan 1943-1952 3 59 NEILL-Williams 1934-1953 3 60 NEILL-Worcester Polytechnic and Clark Univ. 1941-1953 3 61 NEILL-Yale 1935-1952 3 62 NEILL-Other Colleges outside New England 1951-1952 3 63 NEILL-Prep. School Affiliates of NEILL 1961-1962 3 64 NEILL-Andover-Phillips Academy 1931-1952 3 65 NEILL-Clark School.-Hanover, New Hampshire 1950-1952 3 66 NEILL-Choate 1946-1952 3 67 NEILL-Deerfield Academy 1939-1942 3 68 NEILL-Deering High, Portland, Maine 1939-1940 3 69 NEILL-Governor Dummer 1937-1952 3 70 NEILL-Hebron, Hotchkiss 1948 3 71 NEILL-Kimball Union. 1938-1952 3 72 NEILL-Kingswood School 1939-1952 3 73 NEILL-Lawrence Academy 1939-1952 3 74 NEILL-Loomis 1942-1950 3 75 NEILL-Middlesex School 1948-1952 3 76 NEILL-Mt. Hermon 1938-1952 3 77 NEILL-Phillips, Exeter 1933-1952 3 78 NEILL-St. Paul's-Concord, New Hampshire 1945-1952 3 -St. Paul's-Bult, Maryland 3 79 NEILL-Suffield Academy 1941-1946 3 80 NEILL-Tabor Academy 1948-1952 3 81 NEILL-Thornton Academy 1938 3 82 NEILL-Tilton School 1942-1946 3 83 NEILL-U.S. Naval School 1949-1950 3 84 NEILL-Worcester Academy 1935-1953 3 85 NEILL-Other Preps. 1935-1952 4 86 U.S. Intercollegiate Association (USILA) 1947-1952 4 Records and Correspondence 4 87 USILA Correspondence 1952 4 88 USILA Records and Correspondence 1955-1960 4 89 USILA Records and Correspondence 1961-1962 4 90 USILA Development Committee 1946-1953 4 91 All American/All New England Teams 1930,1952 4 92 All American Selection Committee, Records, 1958-1962 4 Correspondence, Clippings 4 93 USILA North-South Lacrosse Games 1949-1959 4 94 USILA North-South Lacrosse Games-Records, 1960,1961 4 Clippings and Correspondence 4 95 USILA North South Game 1962 4 96 "The Lacrosse Newsletter"(s) 1958-1962 4 97 Publicity Releases 1952-1961 4 98 Programs, Schedules, Tickets, Posters 1907+ 5 99 Association of N.E. Colleges for Conferences on Athletics, Correspondence, Minutes 1931-1939 5 100 Boston Lacrosse Club Constitution, Records 1913-1915 5 Clippings 5 101 Boston Lacrosse Club 1954-1962 5 102 Harvard University Varsity Club."The H. Book" 1961-1962 5 Correspondence 5 103 The H Book of Harvard Athletics(bound volume) 1852-1922 5 104 Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Correspondence, Notes, 1958-1961 5 105 U.S. Lacrosse Coaches Association, Corres., 1956-1961 5 Printed Material, Reports 5 106 Lacrosse Coaches Assoc. Newsletter 1951-1952 5 107 N.E. Lacrosse Officials Association, U.S. 1938-1962 5 Lacrosse Officials Association 5 108 U.S. Women's Lacrosse Association, Clippings 1952 5 Correspondence, Printed Material 5 109 California Lacrosse Association 1961 Series 3. The Lacrosse Guide1893-1962; n.d. 6 110 Lacrosse Guide Info., Questionnaires, 1952-62, n.d. 6 Correspondence, Notes 6 111 Lacrosse Guides- Rules and Regulations 1907-1928 6 112 Lacrosse Guides 1929-1941 6 113 Lacrosse Guides 1942-1944, 1946-1955 6 114 Lacrosse Guides 1956-1962 6 115 Outdoor Sports 1893 and Lacrosse Handbooks 1893-1930, n.d. 6 116 Lacrosse Equipment, Catalogs, Orders, 1935-1952 6 Correspondence 6 117 Lacrosse Equipment Catalogs 1960-1963 Series 4. News Clippings1903-1962 7 118 Clippings 1903-1911 7 119 Clippings 1929-1935 7 120 Clippings 1936, 1937, 1940 7 121 Clippings 1961-1962 7 122 Clippings, Canada 1929-1930 Series 5. Printed Material1948-1952; n.d. 7 123 Lacrosse, by W. Kelso Morrill, 1952; 1952, n.d. 7 "Other Indian Games", n.d. 7 124 Copy of 1884 Print, "Game of Lacrosse", H.W. Hall 1948 Series 6. Oversized Materialn.d. 8 Posters, Clippings, n.d. 8 Questionnaires, (3) whistles, (1) badge, etc. 9 Photographs - Teams n.d.